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No. 601',381. Patented Mar. 29,1898.

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ROTARY ENGINE. No. 601,381. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

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' will be intermediate the heads of the other.

- ments, in each of which I locate a piston 7 out in the claims.

formed at their peripheries with two eccen- ABRAM S. PIATT, OF VEST LIBERTY,

ATENT Price.

OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TO WILLIAM M. PIATT, OF SAME PLACE.

, ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 601,381, dated March 29, 1898.

Application filed March 18, 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABRAM S. PIATT, residing at West Liberty, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines. 7

The object of my invention is to produce such an engine in which the full power of the steam is utilized and which is adapted to be run in a reverse direction. To accomplish this, I form the piston of two disks,which are tric curves and with two heads, the curves beginning at the base of one head and terminating at the top and arranging these disks on the shaft so that the heads on one disk By this arrangement when the disks are placed in the casing four pockets will be formed in which the steam acts, and at no time during the operation of the engine is the. steam entirely shut off from any one pocket, so that by this arrangement the full power of the steam is utilized.

' My invention, broadly stated, consists of a suitable casing divided into two compartformed as above set forth and so arranged that one piston drives the engine in one direction,while the other piston drives it in the opposite direction, and in providing a suitable valve in each compartment, so that the steam which enters the compartment through a divided passage is allowed to pass into one pocket and then into the other. I also provide a suitable means for changing the direction of the steam, whereby the engine can be quickly reversed.

My invention also consists of certain details of novel construction, that will be fully described hereinafter and specifically pointed In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed todescribe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 5 and-showing the arrange- Serial No. 627,359. (No model.)

ment of the fly-valves on one side of the casing. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a section taken'on the line 4 4 of Fig. 5 and showing the arrangement of the fly-valves on the other side of the casing. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

In the said drawings, A represents the casing of my improved engine divided into two compartments by the division-plate B and provided with the usual supporting-base O, in which the exhaust D is formed. The casing is further provided with the raised portions E and E, which contain the fly-valves hereinafter referred to and to which the steampipes F and F are connected. These pipes feed the steam to each side of the casing, in which are located the same form of piston, arranged so that when steam is admitted to one compartment the engine will revolve in one direction and when admitted to the other compartment the engine will revolve in the reverse direction. To provide for this changing of the direction of steam, I locate the plate G between the ends of the pipes F and F and the ends of the raised portions D and D and form in the plate a series of openings so arranged that when the steam is feeding through one pipe it will be cut off from the compartment in the other pipe, and by turning the plate a certain distance I shut off the steam from one and allow it tofeed into the other.- T he turning of the plate is accomplished by means of the rack G, held in position by the lug G and having the teeth thereon engage with teeth formed on the periphery of the plate G.

G represents a lever for operating the rack.

As above stated, I divide the casing into two compartments and locate in each compart ment pistons which are arranged so as to drive the engine in opposite directions. Each piston is formed of two disks H and H, keyedupon the shaft H which is journaled in suitable bearings provided for it in the casing. Each of these disks is formed with the eccentric curves H which terminate in the heads H arranged at diametrically opposite points on the disk, and the two disks are arranged so that the head on one disk will be intermediate the head on the other, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, so that suitable pockets, four in all, will be formed by the two disks and easing into which the steam enters.

It will be observed that the curves on the disk start at the base of one head and end at the top of the other, the advantage of which arrangement will be hereinafter set forth. By this arrangement, and also by reason of the eccentric curves H it will be seen that as the steam is about to enter the pocket and work against the head on one disk it is working on the head of the next disk just ahead of the one on which the steam is about to act, so that there is no waste whatsoever. This alternative of power on the disks is also aided in by dividing the steam-passage into two branches, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5.

This same arrangement of disks is provided in the other compartment of the casings, only the heads and curves are arranged in the opposite direction, so that in the other compartment the engine can be driven in a reverse direction when the steam is shifted.

To prevent the steam from working directly on the edge of the piston, so as to cause it to have rearward tendency, I provide the flyvalves 1, which are pivoted at I in the raised portions of the casing. The pivot I is made barrel shape to insure a smooth journal and a partition between the steam-passage L and the recess K, as hereinafter pointed out. As will be seen from the drawings, one end of each valve closes the divided steam-passages in the raised portion, while the other ends are connected by means of a pin and slot J with aweight K, which works in a suitable recess K in the raised portion. To insure the positive action of the valve in closing these passages, I provide a small passage K leading y from the top of the passage L to the recess K,

so that when steam is admitted on that side of the casing steam will enter the recess to keep the free end of the valve up. When the steam is shut off, the steam in the recess escapes through the passage K in the raised portion and the opening K in the disk G, which is moved over the passage K when the disk is turned. This arrangement is provided for each valve and when the steam is exhausted allows the weight'only to hold up the valve, and it is for the purpose of holding the free end of the valve in an elevated position in the recess L, formed for it in the piston-casing, so that when the engine is running in a reverse direction the ends of the valve will be out of the way. These valves are designed to close the steam-passage until the head has passed its free end, when it is forced down by the steam-pressure, which then acts upon the head. As the head is turned the eccentric curves then begin to act on the valve and with the assistance of the weight raises it, so that it will be closed when the next head comes into position and thus prevent the steam from acting directly on the head, as before stated. The steam acts alternately on each disk, so

that there will be no waste'of power or lost motion, and this arrangement will also prevent the jarring which is incident to machines of this class.

.M and N represent suitable openings formed in the partition-plate, and they are filled with a packing N, as shown. The object of this is to provide means for lubricating the shaft at the center thereof.

0 represents a fly-wheel or pulley carried by the shaft, and O a belt.

The operation of my device is as follows: Steam is admitted into one of the compartments and shut oif in the other, and the flyvalves are raised and their free ends held in the recess or pocket formed for .them in the casing. The steam entering the compartments forces one of the valves down, enters one of the pockets, and acts on the head to drive the disk around. As this isdone the eccentric curve on that disk begins to close the valve, and the valve over the other disk is about ready to be opened, the headon this disk just having passed the end of the valve. As the head passes the valve is forced and the steam begins to act on that head, and it is finishing up the stroke in the pocket of the other disk, so that the full force of the steam is expended. This operation of the valves continues until the steam is shut off or the engine reversed, which is done by the lever and plate. The steam in the pockets escapes as they pass over the exhaust.

In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown in dotted lines a modification of the eccentrioline H In this form the said line describes a true circle one-fourth the circumference of the piston, beginning at the base of H for onefourth the circumference of the piston, and for the rest of the quarter-circle the line H forms an eccentric to the top ofthe succeeding head H This same arrangement is made on the other side of the piston.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a casing divided into two compartments, of a shaft projected centrally through both compartments, a raised portion of casing over each compartment, divided steam-passages in each of said raised portions leading into the valve-chambers of the engine, a drivepiston and reversing-piston mounted rigidly upon said shaft in each of said compartments, oppositely located steam bearing heads formed on the peripheries of said drive-pistons, similar heads on the said reversing-pistons but oppositely faced relatively to those on the driving-pistons, fly-valves for each of the pistons, means consisting of weights and' auxiliary means consisting of steam-pressure exerted upon said weights whereby said flyvalves may be maintained in non-action with their respective pistons when the latter are in non-positive action, and a cut-off and reversing disk between the engine and steamsupply pipes, all constructed and arranged and adapted for operation substantially as herein shown and set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing divided into two compartments, a raised portion over each compartment, divided steam-passages in each of said portions, valves pivoted in each of said raised portions of easing, Weights upon the rearwardly-projected portions of said valves serving to normally close the steam-passages, passages for conducting steam-pressure upon said Weights to insure action of same, other steam-passages in said raised portions of the casing, and exhaust-passages therein, a shaft projected through said casing, two rotary pistons mounted upon said shaft in each of said com:

partments, steam-bearing heads upon the periphery of each piston,'the heads on one piston in each compartment facing in a direction opposite to that of the heads on the adjoining piston, a rotatable disk or plate in-- set forth.

ABRAM S. PIATT. Witnesses:

J. WALTER WRIGHT, BEN S. LEONARD. 

